---

When we eat the maror, it makes our eyes water. Its bitterness turns our faces red. We lose control for a moment, and laugh because it's freeing. We cannot keep up appearances while eating maror, and so we don't try to.Our sinuses open up. We cry. We laugh. We cry, and we laugh at our crying.

---

by Emma Lazarus Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame, With conquering limbs astride from land to land; Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame. "Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled...

---

What a blessing to come from a culture that has such a rich story to tell, so full of symbols, like bitter herbs and charoset.

---

What a blessing to live on an earth that reawakens each spring to put forth fruits and vegetables.

---

A small piece of onion, parsley, or boiled potato is dipped into saltwater and eaten (after reciting the blessing over vegetables). Dipping the karpas is a sign of luxury and freedom. The saltwater represents the tears of our ancestors in Mitzrayim. This year may it also represent tears of Black parents and families mourning the loss of their Black youth at the hands of police brutality. 

---

What was the seder table when we only had Elijah’s cup? Incomplete. We open the door for Elijah, Angry prophet of the world to come. And we ask God to pay attention To the fire from the sky that was Elijah’s gift. Regretted necessity. Elijah announces the Moshiach Who then saves the Jews! Elijah, the bringer of justice. When you open the door don’t just say the prayer Read the translation, It’s a little scary So invite that in. Bring the...

---

As we come to the end of the Seder, we drink one more glass of wine. With this final cup, we give thanks for the experience of celebrating Passover together, for the traditions that help inform our daily lives and guide our actions and aspirations. בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ, אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, בּוֹרֵא פְּרִי הַגָּפֶן Baruch Atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, borei p’ree hagafen. We praise you, God, Ruler of Everything, who creates the fruit of the vine. The Cup of Elijah...

---

Passover is a holiday with many different themes.  This breadth ensures that no two seders will ever be exactly alike and encourages each of us to engage equally, whether this is the first or hundredth seder you’ve attended.  It also challenges each of us to connect to the seder on a personal, individual level.  The themes offered are just a sampling, what other themes are you drawn to? Redemption: In the Exodus story, the Jews were redeemed physically from slavery. While...

---

So this is Maggid,The part of the seder where we tell the storyOf leaving Egypt.Actually,We spend more time talking about talking about the storyThen telling the actual story.Very meta is our haggadah,With many numbers,Lots of fours:Four questionsFour cups of wineFour children, Four ways of asking,Why is this night different from all other nights? The first child, Book smart.The wise childKnows all the rules.He's direct,No messin' around,This is what you do on Pesach:Tell the storyDip the herbsReclineDrink four cupsDon't eat leavened breadAsk...

---

Some find it surprising that at the Passover Seder, we discuss weighty themes of slavery and freedom and redemption, but the culmination, the grand finale of the entire seder, is Had Gadya - basically the Jewish version of “I know an old lady who swallowed a fly.” In fact, there has been a lot of confusion in Jewish tradition about how this folk song for children managed to work its way into the Haggadah, such that it is now sung in...

---

This song was written to be part of Fiddler on the Roof, but was cut from the show before it made its Broadway debut for being too slow, and comic at a moment in the show when the people of Anatevka are experiencing tragedy. It imagines a world in which the Messiah is coming, but lost, and worried about us. Words and music by Sheldon Harnick When Messiah comes he will say to us, “I apologize that I took so long.”...

---

The top MatzohAnd bottom Matzoh are,it is said,Pesach substitutesFor the two loaves of challah on Shabbat,Supposedly a reminderOf the two portions of mannaThey received  in the dessertEvery Friday before Shabbat. But the middle matza?!Ah,That's for the seder.We break it in halfAnd call it the bread of affliction,Just like the unleavened breadWe ate as we fled slavery Matza Number Two,The afflicted matza, We break it in halfAnd separate ourselves from joySo we don't forget the painThat has been ours.We break it in...

---

What a blessing to live in a world in which grass in the field can turn into bread. What a blessing to come from a culture that has such a rich story to tell, so full of symbols, like these matzot.

---

We will drink the first of four cups of wineAnd give up controlTo the wine, to the story, to God.We are in Mitzrayim, the narrow place, And God says to us:I Shall Take You Out,I Shall Rescue You,I Shall Redeem You,I Shall Take You to Me. Sanctify the day with the First Cup.I Shall Take You Out, sez God,From the burdens of Egypt.That's nice.  But what about The burdens of now?War, sex slavery, exploitation, inequality,Not much changes.We better get out from...

---

This set of readings was formulated in order to highlight and celebrate Miriam’s role in the deliverance from slavery and her leadership throughout the wandering in the wilderness. When the seder table is set, we place an empty cup alongside Elijah’s cup. Each attendee at the seder then pours a bit of his or her water into the cup. This contribution symbolizes that, at every stage of her life, Miriam was integral in the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt. We...

---

What a blessing to live in a world in which fruit on the vine can turn into wine. What a blessing to come from a culture that tells stories and celebrates the seasons. What a blessing to exist in a universe that, after billions of years, has arrived at this moment, here and now, with us gathered around this table.

---

Our seder is over and done as best we could. May healing come to all the nations of the world. And may we find ourselves next year exactly where we ought to be!

---

Our seder is over and done as best we could. May healing come to all the nations of the world. And may we find ourselves next year exactly where we ought to be!

---

What a blessing to live on an earth that reawakens each spring to put forth fruits and vegetables.

---

What a blessing to live in a world in which fruit on the vine can turn into wine. What a blessing to come from a culture that tells stories and celebrates the seasons. What a blessing to exist in a universe that, after billions of years, has arrived at this moment, here and now, with us gathered around this table.